How To Become A Chief Strategy Officer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chief strategy officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A chief strategy officer (CSO) works with an organization's executive management team to identify needs and oversee the implementation and monitoring of plans. They ensure that the organization's executive management team is aligned on strategic goals to create and implement an organization's short-term and long-range plans. They also work closely with the board of directors to develop, communicate, and sustain its strategic initiative. Chief strategy officers earn an average salary of $176,000 annually or $85 per hour.

Chief strategy officers work with the chief executive officer in various organizations, including healthcare agencies and professional services firms. Although their job descriptions can vary depending on the organization they work in, they still perform some general duties, including identifying needs, developing action plans, and overseeing the implementation and monitoring of plans.

Chief strategy officers mostly hold a master's degree in marketing, business development, or other relevant fields. They are expected to have some years of strategic experience in a similar environment, management consulting, or investment banking. Some employers prefer candidates with excellent people skills and outstanding communication skills.

ScoreChief Strategy OfficerUS Average

Salary

9.2

Avg. Salary $163,192

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.6

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.31%

Black or African American 6.12%

Hispanic or Latino 14.97%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.81%

Gender

female 21.44%

male 78.56%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.2

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chief strategy officer

Explore chief strategy officer education requirements

Most common chief strategy officer degrees

Bachelor's

62.0 %

Master's

26.1 %

Doctorate

4.8 %

Start to develop specific chief strategy officer skills

Skills	Percentages
Business Development	10.41%
CSO	8.37%
Strategic Vision	6.52%
Brand Marketing	5.80%
Business Plan	4.69%

Complete relevant chief strategy officer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chief strategy officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chief strategy officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chief strategy officer resumes.

Research chief strategy officer duties and responsibilities

Establish and manage SLA process.
Manage PPC, SEM and affiliate marketing goals, objectives and strategies.
Lead rebranding and comprehensive redesign of website, print and booth assets.
Manage web content and social media guidelines in alignment with e-marketing strategy and SEM priorities.

Get chief strategy officer experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a chief strategy officer. The most common roles before becoming a chief strategy officer include vice president, senior vice president team lead and chief operating officer.

Prepare your chief strategy officer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chief strategy officer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chief strategy officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Chief Strategy Officer Resume templates

Build a professional Chief Strategy Officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Chief Strategy Officer resume.

Apply for chief strategy officer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a chief strategy officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do chief strategy officers rate their job?

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Chief Strategy Officer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022

Cons

I am responsible for everything be it any side of the business